The Tour presented its route, then only days later the Giro did the same, and now we've got months and months to speculate on the arenas that will determine the path of the 2010 season. It's a perfect time for such musings and a perfect time to focus on the transfer rumors, team possibilities, and cyclocross. It's Monday, it's Trash Day, read on!
2010 Corsa Rosa Presented
RCS didn't want to let the Tour revel in its presentation glow for too long - it was only a few days after the Tour that the 2010 Giro d'Italia was presented to the world.
The 2010 Giro looks to be a return to the more traditional Giro's of old with a massively heavy final week. Really, this will be a race where a rider can show up out of form and ride into it in the manner of the Giros of olden days. Sure, they can lose some time in various small parts, but the Giro won't REALLY come alive until Stage 14. Literally, there will be two weeks for the weak, fat, and underprepared rider to get his form together. Calling Jan Ullrich. Oh wait, scratch that.
We will have MUCH more to come this week and in the future. The PEZ crew is presently lifting their mental weights and applying opinions to keys. We hope to present the full-on PEZ-take of the 2010 Giro route on Wednesday.
In the meantime, my opinion? Bah humbug. I think it always would have been hard to live up to the magic of the 2009 Giro, but this return to the days of yore and two weeks of yawning is so 1976 (or something like that). This is the 21st century, and we've seen what a great Grand Tour can be like (last year).
There is a silver, gold, and precious metal lining though: the final week will be an absolute barn storming beauty. The final week of racing is the stuff of absolute legend. There will be mountaintop finishes, uphill time trials, and a time trial the final day in Verona. I am very excited about the final week's ascents of the Mortirolo, Monte Grappa, Gavia, Zoncolan, Kronplatz, and the final TT in Verona with its 5k climb in the middle. Like everything Giro, it seems they're the only race that can really can make up for two weeks of yawn with 7 stages of 100% magic.
The Stages! Stage 1: Saturday, May 8: Amsterdam, 8km ITT
Stage 2: Sunday, May 9: Amsterdam - Utrecht, 209km
Stage 3: Monday, May 10: Amsterdam - Middelburg, 209km
Rest Day: Tuesday, May 11: travel to Italy
Stage 4: Wednesday, May 12: Savigliano - Cuneo, 32.5km TTT
Stage 5: Thursday, May 13: Novara - Novi Ligure, 168km
Stage 6: Friday, May 14: Fidenza - Carrara, 166km
Stage 7: Saturday, May 15: Carrara-Montalcino, 215km
Stage 8: Sunday, May 16: Chianciano - Terminillo, 189km
Stage 9: Monday, May 17: Frosinone - Cava De'Tirreni, 188km
Stage 10: Tuesday, May 18: Avellino - Bitonto, 220km
Stage 11: Wednesday, May 19: Lucera - L'Aquila, 256km
Stage 12: Thursday, May 20: Citta Sant'Angelo - Porto Recanati, 191km
Stage 13: Friday, May 21: Porto Recanati - Cesenatico, 222km
Stage 14: Saturday, May 22: Ferrara - Asolo, 201km
Stage 15: Sunday, May 23: Mestre - Monte Zoncolan, 218km
Rest Day: Monday, May 24
Stage 16: Tuesday, May 25: San Vigilio di Marebbe - Plan de Corones, 12.8km ITT
Stage 17: Wednesday, May 26: Brunico - Pejo Terme, 173km
Stage 18: Thursday, May 27: Levico Terme - Brescia, 151km
Stage 19: Friday, May 28: Brescia - Aprica, 195km
Stage 20: Saturday, May 29: Bormio - Ponte di Legno, 178km
Stage 21: Sunday, May 30: Verona, 15.3km ITT
Again, stay tuned for Wednesday and the full-on Giro route PEZ-ing.
What Do The Riders Say?
Well, not too terribly many of the riders showed up, but they still had something to say, albeit, mostly in a recorded fashion. I'd say this is one of the downsides of following the Tour presentation with the Giro presentation a week later. No?
Denis Menchov was shruggish about his plans: "It's difficult to say. It's probable (I'll ride) but I don't know yet." Later on, he commented about the last few days: "I like the mythical stages of the last week, like the Mortirolo and the Gavia."
Alberto Contador didn't offer up much better, but he did say something interesting: "It could be my first objective in 2010 with the Tour or I could ride the Giro and Vuelta but it's too early to say now. The route suits me with the time trial and the mountain time trial. There's Plan de Corones, Mortirolo, Gavia and others. That's a lot of climbing, which is good but before making a decision I want to know which team I'll be riding for."
Did Contador actually say that he might choose to ride the Giro and Vuelta? I like this guy sometimes. I doubt it immensely that he would avoid the Tour de France, but just saying it makes me giddy.
Ivan Basso wasn't in attendance: he was racing in Japan, but he did have something to say, "It's a Giro, you can't get it wrong, but it's nice even if it's very hard in the final week. I'm sure I can do well in two major Tours in the same season. I really wanted to ride the Tour and the Giro. There are four of us at Liquigas: me, Nibali, Kreuziger and Pellizotti and we can all fight for big stages. I want to do well on the toughest stages and I think I can do something special."
Mark Cavendish was intrigued by the route: "I'd like to be at the start of the Giro. The organisers have told me there seven finishes, is that right? I like racing in Italy, it's a beautiful country,"
Cavendish will be in an interesting position though: the Giro would suit him perfectly with a ton of possibilities in the first two weeks. He could win a bag load of stages, then tap out right before the going got tough - two weeks of Grand Tour racing, probably five stage wins (or more), and great prep for the Tour without having to go too deep in the mountains.
The Tour of California, however, will be a lot tougher in a shorter amount of time, fewer stage win possibilities, but hugely important for Columbia and manager Bob Stapleton.
At this point, I feel like it will be highly unlikely that Cavendish will be left to race in Italy when there's a race with such a huge market in America like the Tour of California. Hello huge opportunity for Andre Greipel!
Alessandro Petacchi was excited about the route: "The Giro is the race that made me what I am. Pulling on the pink jersey was great this year after all the problems I've had. There are a lot sprints and even other stages that aren't designed for us could end in the sprint."
Recovering from his umpteenth injury/problem in 2009, Daniele Bennati was throwing some verbal aggressiveness: "It was hard to watch [the Giro] on television. Nobody is unbeatable, even Cavendish."
My Beef With California
The Tour of California, in its quest for Grand Tour greatness, seems to be taking dead aim at the Giro, which bothers the working folk at PEZ to no end. It's a helluva lot of work to keep on top of ONE of these big races at a time, let alone TWO.
I know TOCA is looking to carve their own niche at the top, but it's a shame they have to do it at the expense of the Giro. I don't care what anyone else says, it's my favorite Grand Tour of the year, and it peeves me when riders like Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer, who otherwise might have ridden, turn to California, because of course that's what they're pretty much forced to do. The Giro prospered last year in its centenary edition - so many of the sport's best turned out to race, and it was a spectacular race. Just one year on and it's looking like it could become the Italian Worlds again.
If you're going to cramp the style of a Grand Tour, why not the Vuelta? The Vuelta is great and all, but it ain't the Giro or the Tour.
California Love
Ok, just to make it very clear: I have no problems with California. It's a fantastic race. I've always loved it. I just think the move to May is a bit of a bummer, but that's from my perspective as a fan and overworked writer/editor. The race in May will be beautiful, competitive, and a great race. There will be some of America's best talent on hand, and hopefully some solid European legs as well. The first really long, GT-esque TT (50k!) and mountaintop finish at Big Bear should add some new dimensions to the race.
Apparently, October is all about race course presentations, which means it's all about previews - we'll be doing another full-on PEZ Preview of the recently released Tour of California route this week as well.
In the meantime, be satisfied with the stages:
Stage 1: Sunday, May 16, 2010
Nevada City - Sacramento
Stage 2: Monday, May 17, 2010
Davis - Santa Rosa
Stage 3: Tuesday, May 18, 2010
San Francisco - Santa Cruz
Stage 4: Wednesday, May 19, 2010
San Jose - Modesto
Stage 6, Friday, May 21, 2010
Pasadena - Big Bear Lake - first mountaintop finishe
Stage 7: Saturday, May 22, 2010
Los Angeles - 50k TT
Stage 8: Sunday, May 23, 2010
Westlake/Agoura Hills
Cunego's Continued Development...
...Into a scary replica of Paolo Bettini. Damiano Cunego started his career as a huge Grand Tour hope after winning the Giro at the age of 22 in 2004. Of course, we all know what has happened since then. There have been some high points - like taking the Tour's best young rider jersey, but overall, his Grand Tour dreams have never really come to fruition. After a good five years of trying, and failing, Cunego seems ready to give up the ghost and do what he does best: steal stages and one-day races.
Concerning the Giro overall? "It's too stressful. It is simpler to focus on individual stages. I can show myself better there."
Cunego raced this year's Vuelta with that philosophy and left with two stage wins. Sure, he didn't convert that into World Championship or Lombardia victory, but that was never a sure-fire thing, not even for Bettini.
If Cunego continues in this fashion, his unbelievable natural skills will start to show themselves a bit more methinks. He's a rider in the mold of Bettini. Bettini was a small, solidly built rider: uber-powerful, quick, and when he hit his stride, he could win almost at will. Why can't Cunego be that rider? He has the one-day pedigree already with wins at Amstel Gold and three at Lombardia. He has stage wins in two out of the three Grand Tours.
Cunego will get his chance at Worlds, but only when he has become the one-day racer we've all known he can be.
Whew, he should read this and be inspired. I'm inspired.
Contador Takes Third Straight Velo D'Or
Didn't that quote from Alberto Contador sound so great a second ago? Well, scratch that entirely. After picking up his third straight Velo d'Or in Paris today, he put all hopes of a Giro ride to rest: "I will pretty much only think of the Tour de France for next year."
After the disappointment of that statement subsided, he countered with something a little more hopeful and equally as intriguing: the possibility of riding Fleche-Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. That would be very interesting indeed. Contador's uphill explosiveness could make him a tantalizing contender in the Ardennes.
Of course, nothing will be decided until he has a team. "It seems like I will have the opportunity to change teams. I want to have a team that is 100 percent behind me. Caisse d'Epargne is the biggest option I have. There's a huge interest from them, but it's not easy to come to an agreement."
Mark Cavendish finished 2nd in the voting, Fabian Cancellara, 3rd.
Andy Schleck Ready To Do Battle
Of course, Alberto Contador is the reigning top dog in the kennel, but Andy Schleck looks to be his nearest and most dangerous rival in the coming years. This fact has not eluded the younger Schleck, and he plans on taking a step up on the podium in 2010.
"If I can be 2nd at the Tour de France, I can also win it."
His plan? He'll once again not take part in the Giro, he'll race the Ardennes Classics of Amstel Gold and defend his 2009 win at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Providing an interesting glimpse into just how much Stage 3 of the Tour de France might be making riders nervous, Andy Schleck will also be taking part in the Tour of Flanders for the first time. Addressing the issue of the cobbly Stage 3, Schleck notes the obvious in that, "You can't win the Tour there, but you can lose it."
Schleck will be looking to continue his upward trajectory in the mountains, but also hopes to improve on his time trialing. He didn't have a chance against Contador in the time trials this year, but he looks to get closer in 2010: "Every year I get better in the time trials. I'm not so bad. From me you'll never get a Cancellara, but I can improve significantly."
Sorensen Takes First In Last
SaxoBank's Chris Anker Sorensen got his first race win of the season in the last race of the season. The tough circuit is always a tough one and lends itself to an attacking race. SaxoBank is a team known for its advocacy of aggressive racing, so when Jens Voigt and Sorensen started trading attacks inside the final 40k, it was apparent that a solo victory was the hoped for result. In the end, it was Sorensen that got away and left the others to battle for the leftovers.
Sorensen's win breaks a four year Italian winning streak in Japan. He is also the first ever Danish winner at the Japan Cup.
Looking back through the years, however, the Italians seem to have taken a MAJOR liking to this race: in 18 editions, the Italians have won 12 times. A Japanese rider has won only once. Claudio Chiappucci is the record man with three straight wins from 1993-1995.
1 Chris Anker Sørensen (Den) Saxo Bank 4:06:19
2 Dani Moreno (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0:00:24
3 Ivan Santaromita (Ita) Liquigas
4 Juan Jose Cobo (Spa) Fuji-Servetto
5 Pablo Lastras (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0:00:40
6 Joaquim Rodríguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne)
Riccardo Ricco's Return
The saga of Riccardo Ricco's doping suspension is one that points out that absolute lunacy of the penal system at times. Originally sentenced to 24 months, Ricco appealed to the CAS. Result? 20 months. The UCI claimed that CONI did not have jurisdiction in the matter and said it would side with France's 24 month suspension, which resulted in his suspension regaining its lost 4 months. Now, however, it appears there has been some change in the UCI's stance, and Ricco has been handed a four month present.
At least for now..
If nothing changes, he will be eligible to return to bike racing on March 18th. Now, can any of you remind me which race will take place on March 20th? Ah yes, Milano-Sanremo.
That's not too terribly important for Ricco. I can't imagine there's any way possible that he'll be a factor, but there's a MUCH bigger race for Ricco in May.
Hello, Giro d'Italia.
This isn't France. We're talking Italy here, and it would be a major surprise if Ricco didn't find himself back in the Giro in 2010. Of course, his second division Ceramica Flaminia squad isn't assured a spot, but Ricco's name alone should guarantee it. Everywhere else his name is persona non grata, but dollars to donuts Ceramica Flaminia will be in the Giro.
Even better for Ricco? The big, bad mountain stages of the 2010 Giro will start in the final week. He'll have the maximum time available to improve.
I won't even begin to speculate on whether it's even possible to hope that he'll be clean this time around. If you think it's hopeless when the Old Guard of Vinokourov, Rebellin, and Di Luca turn up positive, what is there to say about a rider like Ricco? I'm hoping for the best. He's a thrilling rider, an incredible talent. Maybe his 20 months of vacation will have changed his attitude a bit as well. Here's to hoping...
Another German Race Looking At Demise
Do you ever get the feeling that bike racing is dying a slow, painful death in Germany? The country continues to churn out great talent, but soon there won't be any big races left.
The latest race to have its proverbial head placed on the chopping block: Rund Um Die Nurnberger Altstadt. Title sponsor, Nurnberger Versicherung, an insurance company, has withdrawn its sponsorship dollars as well as those from its women's professional cycling team.
The company cites the continuing doping problems in the sport as well as a lack of a hoped for positive image gain.
The organizers of the race hope to find another title sponsor, but it looks to be an uphill battle: at the moment the race has, max, a fifth of what it needs: 250,000 euro.
Nurnberger Versicherung put 180,000 euro into the race each year.
Here's to hoping...again.
Cross Compote
First off, I gotta apologize. I'm worn out at this point. I don't have much left, so I'm going to just leave my last few words to the Koppenbergcross. I know there were a ton of big races in America this weekend, but I've got nada in the tank. My apologies. Much more next week.
If there's one course out of all of those that Sven Nys has won on, I'm going to guess that the Koppenberg is one of his most beloved, definitely his most dominant.
King Cross managed to get the better of his young usurper, Niels Albert, on Nys' course. With his victory, Nys notched up his 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, SEVENTH win on the hallowed grounds of the Koppenberg.
The race was by no means one of his dominant displays of force, but it was nonetheless a win and another step in the right direction as Nys returns to top form.
Maybe someday the Worlds organizers will take pity on Nys' sour Worlds record and put Worlds on the course of the Koppenberg. It would be a really nice gesture.
1 Sven Nys (Bel) 1:02:08
2 Niels Albert (Bel) 0:00:04
3 Klaas Vantornout (Bel) 0:00:07
4 Kevin Pauwels (Bel)
5 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) 0:00:14
6 Françis Mourey (Fra) 0:00:24
What Did The Dolomites Do?
I mean, what did the Dolomites do to piss off the Giro organizers so much? For the second straight year, they're being avoided like a student with swine flu in a class of 500 (sorry, I live in a university town).
Seriously, the race literally encircles the Dolomites, but visits nary a piece of them. Sure, they hit the outside part with the time trial to Kronplatz. The riders will see the beautiful, jagged, grey peaks of the Dolomites from the Furcia and all the way up to the top of Kronplatz, but they'll not tread in the hallowed grounds. Stage 17 is the worst: it literally traces the outside edge of the Dolomites. It starts in Bruneck, heads west through the Puster Valley, turns south to Bozen in the Eisack Valley, all the while with the Dolomites just over the riders' left shoulders. True, Corey will be pleased that the race climbs his hometown climb of the Gampenjoch (er, Palade for you Italophiles), but this opinionated journo cries foul. Sure, it gets close, but there's no Dolo love. Give me Fedaia, give me Sella, give me Pordoi, Falzarego, Gardena, Tre Cime, hell, I'll even take a passage of the Campolongo.
That's all I have to say about that.
Questions? Comments? Happy? Sad? Send me an email.
There's always the trusty JeredGruber.com if you ever get really bored.
I’m just digging out from a few days at the BMC training camp, and while I won’t be reporting on doing Jaeger-bombs and Redbulls with Cadel & George, ... More....
When the now defunct Belgian newspaper Het Volk first organized Omloop Het Volk in 1945 to capitalize on the growing popularity of bicycling racing ... More....
When you get an invite from the nation’s premier component maker to join a metric century in wine country that is fully catered, you grab the clean ... More....
Six Day racing comes to Berlin for the 99th time on Thursday, 28th January, 2010 with the great tradition of winter track racing in Germany in a ... More....
One more day, one more sprint! Sky had the goods to finish the week Down Under the same way they started: 1-2. The rest of the favorites were hot on ... More....
American Classic spent the last couple of years reworking their line up and the 420 Aeros are the latest to leave the bench. Take a look at the new ... More....
A couple years in the making, Pez head up to see arguably the top custom builder on the planet. We hit Serotta's NY shop, take a peek at their ... More....
You’ve still got today and all of tomorrow to ‘git ‘er done! Your holiday shopping that is… and armed with the complete set of 4 gift guides ... More....
If the stocking's not full - somebody's not doing their job. Good thing we're here to help with a big ol' bag full of the kind of stuff we'd love to ... More....
Winter riding is almost upon us - except for you lucky Aussies - and that means less riding outdoors. But with an indoor trainer and a Netflix ... More....
Many ergogenic aids, both legal and illegal, have been touted as the magic bullet that will improve cycling performance. What about something that ... More....
Having goals is one of the important first steps in achieving your dreams. They can be small goals or they can be big goals, but without them you’ll ... More....
Is cycling your religion, or at least one of them? If so, you’re not alone. Many people define themselves as “spiritual,” even if they don’t practice ... More....
Post-Giro Roadside: I love Scotland; but there’s no Gazzetta in the morning, most of the coffee tastes like John Wayne brewed it beside the ... More....
Sunday July 20th 1969; that’s 40 years ago now but I remember it clearly as the day that I first became aware of professional bicycle racing – I was ... More....
Roadside Recap: As we make our merry way through the rounds of the PEZ Looks Back, Ed is up for his retrospective on the Tour that was. As the ... More....
Coming on four years ago, Saul Raisin was one of THE big things in US pro cycling. Top 40 in a hard Tour de Suisse and mountain king at the Tour de ... More....
The last time we spoke to Garmin's Steve Cozza was after the 2008 Paris - Tours; where he produced another solid performance from a consistent and ... More....
Just about to start his second season with Cervélo - thanks to strong Classic rides and his first Grand Tour finish, in the Giro - Englishman, Dan ... More....
In October, nine-time Tour de France rider Frankie Andreu announced that he would be Director Sportif of the Ohio-based KENDA Pro Cycling p/b ... More....
With so many (too many?) others looking back to best-of-2009 or decade highlights, why not look ahead? A new decade beckons, after all, so who better ... More....
We first talked with Lostende Bike Tours owner and avid cyclist Allan Reeves about his Pyrenees Cycling Challenge, from the Atlantic to the ... More....
So, riding in Texas is mostly flat, with only tumbleweeds and armadillos to avoid right? Well, not exactly. You see, Austin is situated in what’s ... More....
I’m just digging out from a few days at the BMC training camp, and while I won’t be reporting on doing Jaeger-bombs and Redbulls with Cadel & George, ... More....
When the now defunct Belgian newspaper Het Volk first organized Omloop Het Volk in 1945 to capitalize on the growing popularity of bicycling racing ... More....
When you get an invite from the nation’s premier component maker to join a metric century in wine country that is fully catered, you grab the clean ... More....
Race report: Alejandro Valverde stayed upright to seal his Vuelta victory – the first Grand Tour win of his career. On such a short stage, ... More....
Race Report: Today David Millar won his 5th stage in all his Vuelta’s, he was given one of the swords that Toledo is famous for along with the ... More....
Updated! Hallelujah, they're racing in Qatar, and I just got back from celebrating with every other New Orleanian on Bourbon Street. There's ... More....
It was a dark Sunday morning in Italy when the news services announced that Franco Ballerini, ex-professional, former dual Paris-Roubaix winner and ... More....
The maracas shake, 'Cara mia, mine !' blasts from the PA. Bang! The little cannon fires and the hall fills with smoke. Yes, this is the right place, ... More....
When the K-Mart Classic of West Virginia stormed through the state in the mid-90s, it opened awareness as to just how great the bike riding is in ... More....
Roadside St. 14 When you start each new Giro you understand you’re a year older. You feel a stranger to the village approach and for a moment ... More....
As the final Madison got underway the arena was packed to the rafters, all the talk of Six Days in crisis forgotten for now. The finale was ... More....
Professional cycling has, over the years, attracted only a few documentary film makers. A few, such as Jorgen Leth’s “A Sunday in Hell,” have even ... More....
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/amclass/amc420alarge.jpg",900,698);)
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/serotta/meilarge.jpg",2000,1244);)
